South Korea Wins Little League World Series

Shortstop Jun Hyeok Yun of Seoul Little League gets a hit in the Little League World Series championship game.

Pitcher Hae Chan Choi of South Korea’s Seoul Little League team thinks that teamwork is more important than winning. His team worked together to win the 68th Little League World Series. The series is played every year in August in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Seoul Little League defeated Jackie Robinson West of Chicago, Illinois, in the championship game. The final score was 8–4.

Little League teams from around the world go to South Williamsport for a chance to play in this game. All of the players are 12 or 13 years old. The series starts with 16 teams. Eight teams represent different parts of the United States. They are called regional champions. The other eight are international teams. The U.S. and international teams do not play one another until the final game. In the championship game, the top U.S. team plays the top international team.

Throughout the series, Jackie Robinson West was good at making comebacks. But they weren’t able to come back against Seoul Little League. By the top of the final inning, the South Korean team had scored eight points and Jackie Robinson West had scored only one. The Chicago team earned three more runs, but it could not catch up. To celebrate their win, the South Korean players hugged and tossed water on each other. They also bowed to the Jackie Robinson West players to show their respect.

To celebrate Jackie Robinson West making it so far in the series, the city of Chicago held a parade that started in Jackie Robinson Park and ended in Millennium Park. The players on the Seoul team are now famous in their country. Crowds of people waited to greet them at the airport when they arrived home. The kids on both teams have a lot to be proud of.